BLM-CO Preserving the Mining Heritage in San Juan County

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has many significant historic mining resources located along the Alpine Loop Back Country Byway in San Juan County, Colorado. These fragile sites are over 100 years old, and receive over 400,000 visitors a year. Heritage tourism is the mainstay of San Juan County, and the historic mining sites on the Alpine Loop are the crown jewels for this area. It is imperative to preserve and protect these sites while engaging and informing the public regarding their significance. Currently these structures and associated features are highly visible to motorists and tourists traveling the Alpine Loop Back Country Byway. Artifacts found on these sites are being looted and degraded. These historic structures are also unstable, potentially posing safety hazards. Many of these issues are a result of uninformed behaviors, a lack of appreciation for and knowledge of native cultures, irregular and/or rare monitoring, and limited opportunities for the public to learn about cultural resources on public lands.A partnership with a cooperator as outlined in this funding opportunity announcement will assure that these sites are frequently monitored by volunteers, site stewards, and/or personnel from the cooperator. In addition, there are several mining structures in need of historic preservation as well as interpretive activities over the lifetime of the agreement. This funding opportunity addresses the Secretary of Interiorâ¿¿s priorities of creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt as well as ensuring greater public access to public lands. This funding opportunity promotes access over restrictions that damage to cultural resources may present. In addition, this opportunity promotes relationships with local communities by supporting dialogue, communication, and partnership opportunities between the federal government and local and state organizations. This funding opportunity addresses the Secretarial priorities to improve infrastructure by supporting public-private partnerships to improve the conditions of historic structures found on public lands to increase tourism, public access and economic vitality of local communities dependent on the recreation industry.A complete application package, announcement and instructions can be found on www.grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Announcement Number L18AS00061.